Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-09-16
County Attorney Carleton and Rem
Bunker.

County Attorney Carletoa, was found at his
room by the Journal reporter yesterday morn
ing, suffering from a severe cold. When
asked If he had seen Ben Bunker's effusion
in the Boston Globe, ne replied that he hal
not-and did not care to read the rawlings of
so arrant hypocrite as he had proved him
self to be all through his proceedings relative
to the sumnoning of witness before the Grand
Jury this term. Mr.. Carleton was finally in
duced to make a statement OF facts relative
to the matter, as follows:
''In the first place, list of 80 witnesses
was presented to me by a member of the
grand jury from Waterville, of prominent
citizens of Waterville. Mr.. hall, the jury
man who handed me the list stated that he
knew nothing about it. but that il was handed
to him BY gentleman whose name he re-
fused TO give. | said to him this is an
anonymousIthing, know nothing about it and
can take no notice Of it and told him to
give 1t to the sheriff of the county if he
wanted to. That night l saw Mr.. Hall and
Ben Bunker in secret conversation at the
Cony House, and the next morning Mr.. Hall
wanted to know if the Deputy from Oakland
would not be proper man to give the list to.
| told him if he had a list of names that no.
body would bother. doubted the p-opriety
of noticing it. for one would not.
That day, or the next, received telegram
from Bunker asking if would summon 80
witnesses from Waterville who had bought
intoxicating liquor of the druggists and other
places in Waterville. l replied, "yes, if you
will sign the list and state you have reason to
believe and do believe the statement in your
telegram is true" Monday, Bunker came
down. handed me list of Witnesses and
signed it. l supposed up to that time he was
acting in good faith, but soon learned that
he had been to men whose names were on the
list and told them IS skip as they were to be
| summoned, to others he said "you let up on
John Hayes and none will be summoned"
This came to me from such sources l could
not doubt their absolute truth.
Immediately handed the list to the sheriff
of the county to do with it as in his judge
ment he should see fit, and gave him a sub
p)ens Z" summon such as he judged for the
best Twelve ware summoned and came be-
fore thu Grand Jury. 1t should be borne in
mind that larg. number of witnesses
fr It Wst.rville had already been summoned
and had testif d and evidence got sufficient
10 lndlct nearly every rumseller in Water
vile. Knowing this fact suppose it was the
duty of the County Attorney not to put the
CpuhNN W Tie unnecessary expense OF getting
large number of witnesses from Waterville.
think the docket shows that everybody in
Waterville has been indicted who is even
suspected of selling rum, some dozen or more
IN number, and the evidence to do this had
been secured by the officers of the county,
and this, coupled with the fact of Bunker's
duplcity in telling witnesses to skip, and
threatening others that if they did not do so
and so they would be summoned seemed to
afford sufficient reason for not summoniug a
host of Waterville's best citizens before the
Grand Jury.
| 1t should be stated that Bunker's name was
added to the list summoned, at the suggestion
of officers of the county That afternoon
Bunker stalked into the Grand Jury room
unbidden, aud threw down paper. saying
There is a list of seventy names | demand
to have summoned" | ordered him from the
room, and put the paper in my pocket, sup
posing it contained a list OF additional men to
be summoned from Waterville, until jury.
man, who seemed to know about it, asked if
had not been asked to summon men from
Augusta. | looked at it then and found 1t
was q list of the most prominent men in
Augusta-the names of VIM r. Smith, Hon.
John L. Stevens, Hon. o. d. Baker, VIM
Fl. Bigelow Hon. P. o. Vickery, Hon. j. H
Manley, Hon. Geo. f. Weeks, Jos. A.
| iiouitli Lo"dru OWeu, &C, neu WHO WOulu
scorn to buy liquor or use it. | declined to
take any further notice of it under instruction
from the Grand Jury.
| Bunkers talk that only democrats are
prosecuted, is the idlest twadIle, and he
knows it is false | can't tell the politics of
six men out of the l01 who have been indict-
ed this term, and don't care what it is. l
know that a republican, Ivory
Hayes. has been sent to Jail this term
for liquor selling. Tom Pinkhsm, believe,
was always a republican except one year. 1t
is said. when he voted the Third party ticket.
republican alderman and constable of
Hallowell are fugitives from justice, from
being prosecuted.
The simple truth is it disturbs Ben Bunker
and those of his ilk very much because the
law is being most rigidly enforced. Ben
Bunker stated just before his interview, as |
am told by man who heard him say it, that
County Attorney Carleton had beat him at
his own game, but he would give him the
devil at the next Grand Jury.
The County Attorney, as | stated in let
ter last summer, has nothing to do with hunt.
ing rumsellers. His business is in court the
officers are specially enjoined by statute to do
this.
There are those who don't want the law en-
forced, for if it is their stock argument is
gone. But so long as am the prosecuting
officer of this county l shall do my utmost to
do my whole duty without fear or favor, and
am happy to add, the Sheriff and his depu-
tirs are determined to crush out the traffic.
1t never in the history of the county was in
such close quarters as at the present time.